East Guthrie

At noon in late April 1889, Guthrie was born with a bang. As the smoke from the cannons signaling the start of the Land Run cleared, tens of thousands rushed to claim a piece of the Oklahoma prairie for their own. Today, the town is made up of brick and stone rather than the wood and canvas tents the early homesteaders erected when they arrived, but Guthrie has remained true to its roots. “It’s more of a rural area, that’s for sure,” laughs Tulio Morales, a top realtor with Whittington Realty. Like the original settlers, residents of this small town 30 miles north of Oklahoma City are “out here because they want to be away from people, away from the congestion of the city, with plenty of land around them,” Morales says. On the east side of town, that’s especially true: “It’s a slower, rural, more relaxed pace of life in East Guthrie,” confirms Morales.

East Guthrie offers panoramic pastoral views, with lots ranging from half an acre to well over 5 acres. Homes here tend toward Traditional-style, with farmhouse, Prairie and Craftsman-style design elements. For a typical three-bedroom Traditional-style home on 2 acres, featuring an open floorplan, hardwood flooring throughout and an attached two-car garage, you can expect to pay around $350,000. “Prices here are on par with the metro,” says Morales, noting the spectrum shimmers between $200,000 and $400,000. “$370,000 to $400,000, in my opinion, is bordering on overpriced for the area right now,” he says, explaining: “Homes in that range sit on the market just a little longer than homes in the $355,000 to $360,000 range.” He notes that East Guthrie homes, even those priced on the upper end of the spectrum, typically sell within three or four weeks, explaining: “You’re looking at an average of about a month on-market here, likely because this area is pretty specific. If you’re moving here, it’s because you have a very specific idea of what you want: rural, small-town, but only 25 minutes from the big city.”

With Interstate 35 running along the western side of East Guthrie, the 30 miles to downtown Oklahoma City can easily be driven in about 25 minutes. But most residents don’t venture that far to get their kicks, or even for their everyday essentials. “You’re only 14 minutes from Edmond, 25 minutes from Bricktown in downtown OKC, but more than likely you’re not going to go into Oklahoma City to eat,” says Morales, explaining: “It’s a different lifestyle here, most people aren’t looking to go out on a Friday night to Bricktown to dance the night away. At the Guthrie restaurants, the vibe is much more relaxed.” It would be hard not to feel at home in eateries named for your neighbors, like Gage’s Steakhouse, Katie’s Diner and Simone’s Café. But the dining here is just as fine as that in OKC. Morales recommends visiting Gage’s for date night. “They’ve got really good surf and turf,” he says, adding: “The atmosphere is casual, not stuffy.” For their weekly groceries, many residents visit the Conscious Community Co-op farmer’s market on 248th Street about 5 miles west.

When it’s time to hit the books, most East Guthrie youngsters attend schools in the Guthrie Public Schools system. Youngsters go to Fogarty Elementary for preschool through fourth grade, Guthrie Upper Elementary for fifth and sixth grade and Guthrie Junior High for seventh and eighth grade. All three institutions boast B grades from Niche for their academics and teachers. Teenagers between ninth and 12th grade spend their high school career at Guthrie High School, which reviewers awarded 4 out of 5 stars on GreatSchools in 2023.

Here in the central Oklahoma countryside, you may be far from the metro, but East Guthrie residents of past and present agree: That’s the point.

Written By

Megan Quintin

Photography Contributed By

Zach Manwell

Video By

Paris Lape